Adhesive articles such as tapes and wound dressings and bandages are well known in the art and are used for various medical applications for humans and other mammals and for sports protection of humans. In the case of wound dressing, a sterile wound covering element, such as a pad, contacts the wound, and a backing layer, or carrier, coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive provides secure attachment of the dressing to bare skin adjacent to a wound.
Wound dressings such as bandages are typically constructed so that the wound-covering element and the backing layer are securely attached to one another. When the user desires to remove the dressing, such as to change the dressing, the wound covering element and the backing layer are pulled off the user's skin simultaneously. This leaves the wound exposed and unprotected from the surrounding environment. Other times, such as for cosmetic reasons, or after an initial healing period, a user may desire less restrictive and/or cumbersome protection may be desired. Thus, the user may desire to remove only a backing/cushioning portion, leaving the wound covering element in contact with the wound.
Alternatively, some wound dressings are very flexible or difficult to handle without wrinkling or adhering to themselves. Thus, wound dressing applicators made of wound dressing elements and applicator elements are used. In these cases, the dressing/applicator system is disposed on the user's skin at the wound site. Then, the applicator element is removed, leaving the dressing at the wound site. In these systems, the bandage elements, the wound covering element and the backing layer are securely attached to one another. Examples of such systems include Sonnenborg et al., US Patent App. No 2012/0323105, and Smith & Nephew PLC, WO Patent App. No. 94/12134.
Other systems deliver an adhesive wound closure to the skin, but the closure lacks absorbent capacity to take up any wound exudates. Thus, additional exudate-absorbing pads are required until seepage ends, or such exudates may pool between the wound and the closure. Examples of such systems include:
Stenvall, U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,247, purports to disclose a first aid bandage having a flexible, adhesive-coated backing having an absorbent pad secured thereto and a strip of microporous breathable surgical tape superposed over the absorbent pad. Thus, upon application of the first aid bandage the entirety of the skin-facing surface of the bandage is adhesive, and in use, a wound is covered by the adhesive layer of the surgical tape and the surgical tape is at least partially covered by the absorbent pad of the bandage. Finally, the flexible, adhesive-coated backing layer protects the entirety of the bandage. After sufficient time has elapsed to allow for cessation of bleeding and for clotting to occur, backing layer and pad can be removed leaving the smaller strip of microporous breathable surgical tape covering the wound. This may leave a blood-stained surgical tape at the wound site.
Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,048, purports to disclose a first aid bandage dressing system incorporating a cyanoacrylate wound binding layer that is stored in an air-tight or vacuum package prior to use. The cyanoacrylate wound binding layer is described as occlusive and adhesive without the need for additional tape to hold it in place once it is cured by exposure to the moisture and oxygen in air. There is no absorbent capacity disclosed to accommodate wound exudate, which may pool below the wound binding layer, if inadequately applied.
Lowe, US Patent Appn. No. 2008/0051688 A1, purports to disclose a two layered wound dressing having a bottom layer pierced with a series of apertures for adhesive attachment to the skin and a top layer has a very low moisture vapor transmission rate to close the wound from then environment and to keep moisture near the skin to promote healing. After initial healing, the top layer is removed and the apertures permit a near 100% moisture vapor and oxygen transmission between the skin and the environment. Again, there is no absorbent capacity disclosed in this system, and blood or other wound exudates may pool in the regions of the apertures in the bottom layer.
Each of these wound closure systems lacks absorbent capacity and may result in blood-stained dressings. Therefore, a need exists for a wound dressing assembly that incorporates both wound closure adhesive properties and sufficient exudate absorbing capacity that can effectively protect healing wounds. In addition, the above solutions have failed to completely solve the issue of removal of only the carrier, leaving the wound covering element in contact with the wound, protecting the wound from the surrounding environment.